The Home stretch for the Big 5

Talk about the exit of the "Big 5" (I will add Kumble to the list) of Indian Test cricket has been the talking point for the last year. This now seems to be in the home stretch, where some definitive action can be expected. It only bodes well that there has been a change in guard not just in the BCCI Managing committee, but also with the selectors.

For starters, it is wonderful to see that the various powers of the BCCI are now professional appointments and no longer Honarary posts. This, hopefully, will bring some accountability into the running of cricket in India.

India is now faced with 2 home series, the first against Australia starting Oct 9th and followed by a series against England in December. This seems like a perfect set of series to effect a change of guard in the team as well. The Big 5 have done enough in their careers to warrant a pompous farewell and where better to have that than at home. It is time to Phase their exit from cricket and ensure that a smooth transition happens. Heres how I would do it, if I were in Krish Srikkanths shoes.

The Australia series will be the swan song for Saurav Ganguly. For a man who kick-started Indias resurgence with a wonderful 141 in Adelaide aginst the very same Australians, it would be apt that he signs off after a series against the World Champs. This wil motivate him to play a good series and go out on a high and in teh minds of the public as a champion cricketer, one which he surely is, despite the controversies.

Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid will play their last series against England. For two men who made their debuts against England in England, it will be fitting that them to sign off in style against the resurgent English team.

Laxman and Sachin Tendulkar seem to have a bit more in their tank and will help the transition be gradual and not sudden. With overseas series in Pakistan and New Zealand to follow, their experience will augur well for the youngsters in the side.

Talking about replacements, it is always difficult to fill the huge gaps that these contemporary greats will leave behind. Good news though is that the bench strength looks promising and ready to take on the reigns. Subramanium Badrinath, is the front runner in my opinion and with Akash Chopra, Rohit Sharma, Mohd Kaif, Yuvraj Singh and Virat Kohli in the wings, there is definitely good choice for the selectors. MS Dhoni has done enough to prove his effective captaincy and with 2 more series at home under the guidance of Anil Kumble will see him ready to take on the toughest job in Indian cricket. The huge boots of Anil Kumble as a bowler will be difficult to fill, but with Piyush Chawla, Amit Mishra and Pragyan Ojha knocking on the doors, Indian spin seems in safe hands.

Sachin Tendulkar should play his last One Day series against England at home and then focus only on Tests, thereby enabling him to elongate his Test career. The ODi team is now gelling well into a good side.

Time will tell if any of this happens. In the end I mean well for all of these seniors and I think that they deserve a grand farewell and I hope the players do not leave it until too late and get dropped from the side.